banana takes the cake

June 9, 2014

There is just something fantastic about good banana cake. So much so, I’m reposting this classic recipe from two years ago just because I love it! You may be wondering why I refer to mine as cake and not bread? That’s because boring, brown bread would not do this suh-weet bake justice! We’re talking super moist texture with a slightly-crisped outer crust, and we won’t even need butter or jam to top this off. It is divine all by its lonesome.

I have been making this since I was a in middle school, and my recipe is pretty classic. I never add nuts—just simply bananas . . . and lots of them! I could eat a piece for dessert, breakfast—heck I’m not too proud—even lunch (well, it does have a serving of fruit). I’ve baked this goodness many times as a bundt, in muffin tins, and as a layer cake with a whipped, cream cheese frosting—the options are endless! Today, I’m going with a traditional loaf pan. The following recipe is for a single batch, but I’m doubling-up since I have a boat-load of ripe bananas to use.

The cooking time may vary according to pan choice. A dark metal loaf pan will cook more quickly than a glass one. If you vary and go with muffins, this will cook in only around 25 min. If toothpick comes out clean and middle is firm, it's done! Give it a good while to cool, so it can set...

I wish I could relay the sweet smell of this cake baking in my oven—it is heavenly! The riper the bananas the better (want them to have blackened peels), so hold onto an extra bunch of Chiquitas this week and by Sunday, you’ll be having your cake and eating it too (but not for long because this one goes fast). I hope you enjoy this favorite cake as much as I do.While it’s baking I shall leave you with some random banana bits of info to chew on:

Musa sapientum is the scientific name for bananas, ‘fruit of the wise men.’

Any suggestions on how to make this dairy free? Use shortening instead of butter? Or “I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter”? And a replacement for the buttermilk? Looks good but dairy is a no go for me!ReplyCancel

lbsFebruary 2, 2012 - 9:50 am

Hi Liz! Good question! I’ve been planning to do a post specifically on the Science and substitutions of baking, but haven’t yet! I have on occasionally done dairy free cookies and cakes, but the results are never exactly the same. For this cake because it is a bit denser then a say a white cake, a substitution is easier. I would never recommend using margarine as a substitute; there is not enough of a solid fat to work with. You need butter because it is a solid fat that you cream the sugars with. That is crucial because it gives the texture and ‘fluff’ to the cake or bread. You could use shortening (I like the canola version), but typically that is a better sub for cookies, because they don’t rise as much. One thing you can do to mimic the creaming of the butter is separate your egg yolks from the whites. First, “cream” the yolks since they have fat with the sugar, then adding the whites with the other ingreds. I still think you should replace equal amounts of shortening for the butter still. For the buttermilk, skip it! I would sub with ~4 Tablespoons of applesauce instead. I have used applesauce for oil and some liquid fats several times before, not as rich, but worked! Curious to see how this turns out. Hope you are doing well!ReplyCancel

[…] with our pure vanilla, and luckily we ended-up with one sweet combination! I adapted my classic banana bread recipe (which is ore of a moist banana cake really), and opted to use a sweet koroneiki variety of […]ReplyCancel

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Thank you for visiting the dinnervine! In the words of Julia Child, "People who love to eat, are always the best people," and I couldn't agree more. I hope you enjoy these dishes as much as I did making them. Here's to creating new recipes and memories with friends & family, cheers!